Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Passes Basketball to LeBron James After Breaking Record

[ap215]

Congrats LeBron.



Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Passes Basketball to LeBron James After Breaking Record

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar has seen a player break his long-time record in person.

The NBA’s former all-time leading scorer got to see LeBron James make history on Tuesday night against the Oklahoma City Thunder, as James scored his 38,388th-career point to take the record.

https://www.nbcconnecticut.com/news/spo ... d/2971519/

[Ted]

It happened at the perfect point in the game with just a few seconds left in the third quarter. A well done and well deserved celebration took place.

Then the Lakers lost the game.

Lebron is one of the NBA's all-time great players and seems to be a genuinely good person as well.

[gounion]

It happened at the perfect point in the game with just a few seconds left in the third quarter. A well done and well deserved celebration took place.

Then the Lakers lost the game.

Lebron is one of the NBA's all-time great players and seems to be a genuinely good person as well.

They are BOTH class acts!

[bird]

They are BOTH class acts!

Yes, they are. I don’t think that there has been anyone that combined rebounding, assists and scoring like Lebron has. He has lasted this long because he is a freak about his body and still has the fire.

[Bludogdem]

Yes, they are. I don’t think that there has been anyone that combined rebounding, assists and scoring like Lebron has. He has lasted this long because he is a freak about his body and still has the fire.

Oscar Robertson, Magic Johnson.

[bird]

Oscar Robertson, Magic Johnson.

Magic was never the scorer that Lebron is.

It is arguable that Oscar’s era was different than today’s.

That being said both were great players. Lebron, as a total package is better and has been doing it longer.

[Bludogdem]

Magic was never the scorer that Lebron is.

It is arguable that Oscar’s era was different than today’s.

That being said both were great players. Lebron, as a total package is better and has been doing it longer.

And Magic exceeded in assists at 11.2 Oscar 26 7 9.5

Wilt Chamberlain 30 23 4.4, Elgin Baylor 27 13 4.3, Larry Bird 24, 10, 6.3

LeBron 27 7 7.3

[bird]

And Magic exceeded in assists at 11.2 Oscar 26 7 9.5

Wilt Chamberlain 30 23 4.4, Elgin Baylor 27 13 4.3, Larry Bird 24, 10, 6.3

LeBron 27 7 7.3

Again, all great players. Wilt was a freak due to his era. Same, to a degree, with Elgin Baylor. Bird averaged more boards but his career scoring average is lower than Lebron’s.

What is interesting is how the great players have astounding individual statistics but unless they had a good team around them they didn’t win championships. That is underscored by MJ winning nothing in Chicago until he got a good team around him. The same applies to Lebron, Wilt, Kareem, Bird etc. imo, the combination of winning championships, scoring, rebounding and assists makes Lebron the best. Which takes nothing away from any other player.

Btw, one wonders how Connie Hawkins would have done had circumstances been different.

[Bludogdem]

Again, all great players. Wilt was a freak due to his era. Same, to a degree, with Elgin Baylor. Bird averaged more boards but his career scoring average is lower than Lebron’s.

What is interesting is how the great players have astounding individual statistics but unless they had a good team around them they didn’t win championships. That is underscored by MJ winning nothing in Chicago until he got a good team around him. The same applies to Lebron, Wilt, Kareem, Bird etc. imo, the combination of winning championships, scoring, rebounding and assists makes Lebron the best. Which takes nothing away from any other player.

Btw, one wonders how Connie Hawkins would have done had circumstances been different.

Based on his first three years in pro ball he would have easily been on par with the rest. Saw him play several times.

As to championships, only LeBron has played during a period where super teams can be built through league rules. Everybody else played under severe league restrictions.

I look at the periods, styles, training, healthcare(especially surgical advances), diet, etc. big advantages for current players as time has progressed. Give Elgin and Oscar the same advantages and they could eclipse contemporary players. Oscar was a monster on the court from corner to corner. His. Game was. Every bit as complete as LeBron’s and Jordan’s.

[gounion]

Based on his first three years in pro ball he would have easily been on par with the rest. Saw him play several times.

As to championships, only LeBron has played during a period where super teams can be built through league rules. Everybody else played under severe league restrictions.

I look at the periods, styles, training, healthcare(especially surgical advances), diet, etc. big advantages for current players as time has progressed. Give Elgin and Oscar the same advantages and they could eclipse contemporary players. Oscar was a monster on the court from corner to corner. His. Game was. Every bit as complete as LeBron’s and Jordan’s.

Nothing but conjecture.

[Bludogdem]

I’ll show my age.

For me it’s Bill Russell.

11 championships in 13 years. Best defensive player in NBA history. 22.5 rebounds per game. Absolute Clutch player. Great team leader.

[gounion]

I’ll show my age.

For me it’s Bill Russell.

11 championships in 13 years. Best defensive player in NBA history. 22.5 rebounds per game. Absolute Clutch player. Great team leader.

One cannot compare players between eras. But remembering and discussing is quite reasonable. Nice thing about age is you can see a lot of players in different eras.

In baseball, cool thing about the minors is you can see a lot of great players pass through. As a kid I got to see Hall of Fame pitcher Rick Reuschel and his brother Paul pitch for the Triple-A Wichita Aeros in 1972. The Aeros were the Cubs Affiliate. Getting to see him pitch was a real treat for me.

In 1995, I had quarter-season tickets for the Double-A Wichita Wranglers, and they were Affiliated with the KC Royals. Johnny Damon spent the season with us, and lit'em up! He had a .343 batting average, 16 home runs and 54 runs batted in.

As a kid, I loved Minnesota QB Fran Tarkenton and Chicago Bear Gayle Sayers. Sayers only had five real seasons of play due to knee injuries. Also, of course, home town favorite Barry Sanders. It's interesting that two great HOF running backs came from Wichita.

And as to eras - I don't think that Sayers would have been able to play in today's era, due to his size.

I didn't watch basketball too much as a kid, but do remember Bill Walton and UCLA's two undefeated seasons and 88-game winning streak.

Being able to see Micheal Jordan at his prime was something to remember, too.